1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to virtual worlds, and more specifically to breakpoint identification and presentation in virtual worlds.
2. Description of the Related Art
A virtual world is a simulated environment in which users may inhabit and interact with one another via avatars. An avatar generally provides a graphical representation of an individual within the virtual world environment. Avatars are usually presented to other users as two or three-dimensional graphical representations of humanoids. Multiple users “enter” a virtual world by logging on to a central server(s), and interact with one another through the actions of their avatars. The actions of a given avatar are controlled by the corresponding individual typically using a mouse and keyboard. Virtual worlds provide an immersive environment with an appearance typically similar to that of the real world, with real world rules such as gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication. Communication may be in the form of text messages sent between avatars, but may also include real-time voice communication.
Virtual worlds may be persistent between times when a given user is logged on. A persistent world provides an immersive environment (e.g., a fantasy setting used as a setting for a role-playing game) that is generally always available, and virtual world events happen continually, regardless of the presence of a given avatar. Thus, unlike more conventional online games or multi-user environments, the plot and events within a virtual world continue to develop even while some of the members are not actively playing their characters.